About a month ago, in the midst of Northwestern’s gigantic losing streak, I wrote that it was a good thing sports journalists aren’t doctors
Come to think of it, it’s a good thing we’re not coaches as well.
When the Wildcats started losing, we went nuts. We wondered if coach Pat Fitzgerald’s magic was through, if defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz ought to be fired and whether NU could keep anyone out of the end zone.
Heck, if I were coaching the Cats, we would have been in panic mode as soon as my rush defense got steam rolled out of West Point. Thankfully, those in charge stayed calm, and kept the ship from sinking even as harsh winds pelted it at every turn.
For all the frustration that hovered over Evanston in the month of October, the Cats stayed remarkably chipper. They never seemed to panic, and somehow they’ve emerged from their cocoon as a surprisingly beautiful butterfly.
While it’s hard to compare the sight of Jacob Schmidt running downfield to that of a Monarch butterfly spreading its wings, the fact is the Cats played a very crisp game Saturday. If they weren’t beautiful, they were certainly effective, as they showed they’re still capable of beating top-notch teams.
To be honest, I didn’t believe they could record this win.
My rationale was perfectly – well, for lack of a better word – rational. There were simply too many missed tackles, too many holes in the secondary to be fixed in a week. Turning a defense that got hammered at Indiana into a defense that would stop Nebraska stone cold made about as much sense as converting a McDonald’s into a five-star restaurant over night.
And yet, somehow Fitzgerald, Hankwitz and the defensive personnel were able to pull it off. NU was able to do everything it couldn’t do in previous weeks. The Cats penetrated the line of scrimmage, made open-field tackles and kept the Cornhuskers receivers in check.
It’s funny. There were a few plays where the Memorial Stadium faithful were hooting and hollering because they thought the NU cornerbacks and safeties were guilty of pass interference, and in retrospect, I realized what an improvement even that was. In the past, no one would have accused the Cats’ secondary of pass interference, because the safeties and corners were usually ten yards away from the ball.
It was a startling change to say the least. But that’s the beautiful thing about college football. It rarely makes sense, and as a result, it makes itself worth watching.
Very little has made sense in the Big Ten recently. We all thought the Badgers were the cream of the conference. Then, Michigan State beat Wisconsin on a last-second Hail Mary pass. So, we figured the Spartans were pretty good, until the Cornhuskers beat them 24-3 in Lincoln. Now, Nebraska has been unseated by lowly NU, who was once considered a championship contender, then demoted to a cellar-dweller, and now is once again a postseason contender.
Ultimately, that’s the beautiful thing about football. I remain pleasantly baffled by the game I love.
Sports editor Jonah Rosenblum is a Medill senior. He can be reached at [email protected]
